


A Siren's Shanty

by orangefispop



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Slow Burn (as slow as a one shot can be), sea shanty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangefispop/pseuds/orangefispop
Summary: Is it an angel or a siren singing sea shanties at night?
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	A Siren's Shanty

Lena’s family was rich, there was no doubt in that. It was made even more obvious when they were able to buy passage on a cargo ship heading down the coast. There were no passenger ships going south for the next several weeks due to it being hurricane season. No amount of money could stop a Luthor though, so once Linoel and Lillian found a captain whose eyes glinted for the right amount of gold, the family and their possessions were loaded up into the cargo ship and set sail.

Because the ship was not accustomed to guests, the captain had graciously moved his sleeping arrangements out of the captains quarters for an extra small pouch of gold. Although it was a tight fit, all four Luthors were settled in the captain’s cabin. The trip was only supposed to be a six day trip, but being stuck on a boat with mostly only her family for company, Lena felt like it was going to last a lifetime. Her family took strolls along the top deck during the day, but Lillian deemed the lower decks too dirty and grimy to allow any of them to go explore. The meals for their first day had been delivered to the cabin so they were each other’s only company. There were only so many games of chess the four of them could play, and once night time arrived it was too difficult for the four of them to share a few candles to all read. 

They were only one day into their voyage and Lena was miserable. Once the candles had been extinguished and the snores of her family filled the cabin, Lena found she could not sleep. After tossing and turning for who knows how long, she decided to stretch her legs. Fetching a long coat, Lena donned it and slowly creeped out the door. She debated on lighting a candle for light, but decided against it so the match’s smoke would not wake her family. Thankfully the big bright moon graced her with a silvery light to guide her way around the deck. 

She looked out across the side of the boat. Water as far as the eye could see. Where the sky touched the sea was clear of clouds and a dark navy blue from the moon’s light. She took a deep breath and could only smell the salt of the water. Looking at her surroundings, there were not many people on the deck. Lillian didn’t let her children interact much with the crewmates, but Lena tried to give a friendly smile to whoever made eye contact with her. There were a few people swabbing the deck, mops in hand and buckets of water next to them. She tried to find a corner of the deck that had already been cleaned so she didn’t have to worry about water on her sleep gown or coat. 

While she watched their methodical movements she enjoyed the light breeze blowing over the deck. Closing her eyes and taking another deep breath, she heard the sound of an angel. It was faint, carried by the wind, but it was there. Snapping her eyes open, Lena searched the deck. The few deck hands that were within hearing range all had their eyes trained down looking at the floor working. She closed her eyes trying to focus on that sound again. It was still there, just so quiet she had to strain her ears to hear it. If it wasn’t an angel, it was definitely a woman and she was singing. 

The wind continued to whip around her, blowing her hair and coat, but as the wind picked up, it became too hard to hear the voice over the sound. Huffing out a breath of air, Lena stayed on the windy deck as long as she could to hear the voice again. It was hours later when she finally had to concede and slowly snuck back into the cabin where she fell asleep dreaming of that voice. 

\----

The next day she walked the top deck at least once an hour hoping to hear that voice. Her family didn’t question her, probably thinking she was getting cabin fever from being stuck on the boat. She had grown up with sprawling gardens and a huge mansion, so she was not used to being confined in one place. The hours passed slowly and Lena was growing tired of trying to listen for a sound she might as well have made up. When dinner time rolled around, she decided it must have been the sea playing a trick on her. She put it out of her mind and ate quietly while listening to her family chat amiably.

She tried to forget about it, she really did, but by the time everyone was asleep, she found herself unable to stop thinking of the sound. Lena was a woman of reason and rationale. She would try one more time, and if she didn’t hear the sound she would give up. Pulling on the same coat, she creeped out of the cabin and made her way to the deck. Unfortunately the wind from the day before had blown in thick fluffy clouds which obscured the moonlight. There were enough sparse slivers that she didn’t trip on anything, but it was much harder to see. 

Looking out across the deck, she noticed there were no one else on the deck tonight. The crew must have done their night tasks yesterday and were sleeping tonight. She settled against the railing of the boat and looked across the water. Suddenly, it was there again. The voice was melodious and light. She swiveled her head looking for another person in the dark, but it was still too difficult to see. Tracing her way across the deck, Lena tried to find someone on deck while listening to the song. It was an upbeat sea shanty if Lena had ever heard one before. 

Often her family passed by taverns and heard songs like this drifting through the doors. Usually it was a pile of people all singing together, their voices combining to tell the tales of sailors or adventures on the sea. This singer was alone. It was just the one voice drifting across the deck, but confident none the less. 

As the songs continued and changed from one to another, Lena became more and more confused. There was no one on the deck, but the person at the helm who was pointedly ignoring her and not singing. By observation she knew the person must have been near the center of the boat. The voice grew quieter near the front and back and was loud and clear towards the middle. Perhaps the voice was floating from below deck? It was too dark tonight and Lena didn’t have a candle, so she would have to check tomorrow. Content to have a plan, Lena leaned back against the ship railing to enjoy the music. It was a pleasant change from the small routine her family was falling into on the boat. Tomorrow night she would find the angel. 

\----

She was antsy and she knew her family could tell. Yesterday she was pacing the boat, but today she was practically bouncing up and down sitting on her makeshift bed. 

Finally having enough of her boundless energy, Lex snapped. “What’s wrong with you today, Lee? Is the endless ocean starting to get to you?”

Not letting her brother’s outburst dim her mood, Lena just replied, “I’m just excited for tonight.”

Eyes brightening, Lex scooted closer to her. Their parents were currently taking a walk on the deck so it was just the siblings in the cabin. “What’s tonight?”

Biting her lip, Lena debated telling him. He was her big brother, but she didn’t want him to try and stop her. “I’ve been hearing a voice at night and I am going to find the source.”

Rubbing his bearded chin, Lex thought for a moment. “You don’t know who is singing?” 

“It’s either an angel, or a crewmate below deck.”

“I want to hear the voice! Where is it?” he asked. Anything seemed more interesting than sitting idly in this cabin another hour.

“I’ve only heard it at night. Sometimes when I can’t sleep I walk on the deck. That’s where I hear the voice. It’s beautiful and I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“Maybe it’s a siren,” Lex said teasing. 

Lena scoffed. “Sirens aren’t real.”

“Well did anyone else hear the voice?” he pried.

She paused. No one else on the deck the first night had seemed to even acknowledge that there were the whisperings of song on the deck. Had she been the only one to hear it?

Noticing her pause, Lex continued. “Sirens are supposed to sing a song of want to sailors on voyages. People used to say the beauty of the sirens is what made sailors jump into the ocean, but I heard it’s the song they sing. They sing a song of want to the sailors. It’s different per person, but the sailors are supposed to hear a song of their deepest desires and be so tempted they jump in.”

Silence wrapped the cabin, both siblings lost in thought about the existence of sirens.

\---

Since Lex knew she was going to sneak out, Lena had to be extra careful to wait for his snores before she left today. When the sounds started echoing off the walls, she made her way out. This time she took a candle with her, expecting to go below deck. Once she was out the door she lit the match until the wick caught. Blowing out the match, she held the candle aloft to gain her bearings. She kept an ear out for the voice she was growing to love, but she heard nothing tonight. Maybe it was too late in the night and she missed her siren. Or was it an angel? Her conversation with Lex made her unsure.

Picking her way across the deck, Lena found the stairs leading down to the lower decks. Without the music to guide her, she would have to guess where the middle of the boat was. This first deck was full of barrels with many different markings on them. Some were labeled “Food” while some were labeled “Gunpowder”. She winced. Hopefully those two never crossed. There were also several crates down here, probably the cargo the ship was originally transporting. 

The distant sound of snores caught her attention and she made her way slowly across the middle deck trying to avoid getting too close to gunpowder barrels with her lit candle. Lanterns chained against the wall swung in time to the tide and helped guide her way. Once she finally reached another set of stairs, she tried to peak below. There were rows of hammocks, some one on top of the other, on this deck. She could see most of the crew was asleep, glimpses of limbs hanging over the hammocks. 

Suddenly a face appeared in front of her. “What are you doing here?” the voice hissed, a hand on her shoulder pushing her back up the stairs. 

Lena tried to turn the candle towards the person, but she was turned and marched up the stairs. They did not stop until they reached the first set of stairs leading to the top deck. Finally the person stopped pushing her and she turned to face them.

It was a young man, probably around her age wearing a white shirt that was too large for him and pants cuffed at the calf. He was not wearing shoes and his brown hair was unruly from sleep.

“I said, what were you doing down there? You could have woken up some of the crew, or worse, the captain!” he whispered loudly.

“I was looking… for the voice,” Lena admitted. She didn’t consider the fact most people were asleep and the light could have awoken them. 

Sighing, the guy started up the stairs, only looking back at the top to see if she would follow.

“You’re one of those passengers we’re carrying, right? Please try not to disturb the crew when they’re sleeping. Especially Alex, she would be so grumpy if you had woken her up,” he said in warning.

“Who are you?” she finally asked.

“Oh, my name is Winn. Nice to meet you.” He wiped his hand onto his pant leg and held it out. Lena hesitated, but shook it briefly. 

“So what voice are you hearing?”

“I thought it was an angel… but my brother said it could be a siren. Not that I believe in them, of course!”

“Angels or sirens?” Winn grinned cheekily.

“Sirens… and angels I guess. Sometimes I’m the only person who hears a voice singing, but I’ve never heard it until I got on this boat.” Lena was growing tired. She just wanted to find the voice, but it wasn’t even singing tonight.

Winn scratched his cheek. “If it is a siren, you have to be careful. Never heard one sing before, but they tend to draw people in. I haven’t been on the ocean long, but I know enough to not knock legends that old. Do you hear it now?” 

She shook her head. It felt ridiculous telling someone else when the voice wasn’t even here.

“If you hear it again, come find me and I can try and help you find it. Or I can tie you to the mast so you don’t jump overboard. Your choice.” He shrugged. She could tell he wanted to go back to sleep too.

“Thank you for the offer. Sorry to wake you tonight. My name is Lena. If you’re around when I hear it again, I’ll come find you.”

Waving, they both parted ways. He went back under deck and she snuffed out the candle. The more she had to explain this to people, the crazier she thought she was getting. It was still the angel’s voice that lulled her to sleep that night. 

\----

Now that she actually knew someone on the boat, Lena would wave whenever she saw Winn pass her by. It wasn’t often, but it was enough for her parents and Lex to eye her curiously. They didn’t ask though thinking she was just trying to be polite.

When night rolled around, Lena continued her ritual of sneaking out. She silently hoped the voice would be out there again. Winn had graciously brought out a small crate during the day and put it in the corner of the boat for her along with some rope. During one of their passing by he had asked if she heard the voice, but she told him she was going to wait for night again. The rope was an unneeded addition, but he insisted it would be so she could anchor herself if she got too tempted. She could tell he wanted to offer to help, but the strain of working on the boat had him exhausted by night time.

Gently resting on the crate, Lena closed her eyes and waited. The universe must have thought to give her mercy for the voice started not long after. The shanties were different this time. Instead of being light and bouncy like the second night, this was sad. Lena knew most shanties in the taverns were a chorus of voices, but she didn’t realize how lonely the voice sounded until tonight. The song was slow and deep. She couldn’t quite make out the words, but the voice continued on, no voices to join. This couldn’t be the voice of an angel or a siren, it was too haunting and too alone. This wasn’t what she wanted. The words she could make out were wrapped with the tone of one who knew loss. Lena knew the feeling of loss. ‘

Losing her birth mother when she was young was something she would never forget. Lionel was her birth father and Lillian and Lex welcomed her as best they could, but none of them could know the loss she felt in her heart at night. As the song continued, Lena felt a tear roll down her cheek. Whoever was singing, she wanted to let them know they didn’t have to be alone. No one should feel the way this song was making her feel. The song started to swell, the melody strong and hollow and the tears started streaming down freely. 

When the song stopped, she wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat. She hoped the next shanty would be more upbeat, she didn’t think she could bear to hear another soul wrenching song. Thankfully the next song had a quicker tempo and a lighter sound. The angel didn’t sound as happy as it had the second night, but it was a better pace than tonight’s first song. Lena wondered what must have happened for someone to be able to sing like that. The shanties continued through the night slowly growing happier as the night progressed. Closing her eyes, Lena listened to the songs until she fell asleep on the crate.

\----

“Lean! What are you doing out here?” Lillian’s voice shocked her awake. Lena opened her eyes and saw all three of her family members looking at her with worry. She tried to sit up and realized her back was sore from sleeping upright against the railing on the crate. 

“I must have fallen asleep out here. I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry, mother.” Lena hung her head.

Lillian’s eyes went from worry to anger, but before she could speak Lex jumped in. “Sorry, mom. Lena told me last night she couldn’t sleep so I told her to get a breath of fresh air outside. I should have checked on her, but I must have fallen asleep too. Next time I’ll go with her.” Lex smiled charmingly at his mother. 

Mouth turning to a frown, Lillian finally conceded and she and Lionel turned away to collect breakfast. Lena supposed Lex avoided the reaming she would have gotten because he was always the favorite.

“Thanks for covering for me,” Lena said with a small smile.

“Looking for your siren again?” Lex asked.

“I heard her last night again. She sounded so alone. I just wanted to stay out here so she knew she wasn’t alone, even if she can’t see me,” Lena shrugged and then stood. She stretched out her back and shoulders. The deck was full of crewmates at this point and she was only in her sleeping gown and coat. She quickly closed her coat, her cheeks tinging pink with embarrassment. 

“Look out below!” she heard a voice say. Both she and Lex looked up just in time to see a woman swinging on the cargo nets connected to the mast, long blonde hair trailing behind her. The woman hopped from rung to rung down the net before eventually jumping and grabbing a line dangling from the mainsail. It looked like she was flying.

As someone afraid of heights, Lena thought the woman was very brave to be up that high. She seemed confident in what she was doing. Eventually the woman landed on the deck, her boots making a might thump on the wood. She had a flowing white shirt with a leather vest on. Her black pants were tight and led down to her calf high boots.

“Always a showoff,” a crewmate mumbled. She was almost as tall as the blonde, but she had short cropped red hair. 

“I just love being up there! The view is amazing, Alex!” the blonde exclaimed. It was too early in the morning for any person to have so much energy considering everyone was just waking up. The blonde and red head turned to head towards the stairs, but Lena caught the blonde’s eyes. They were as blue as the ocean glittering in the sun. It took all her will power for Lena’s mouth to not hang open, but the woman passed her quickly and disappeared below deck. Where had this woman been? Lena was sure she would have noticed her the past few days. 

\----

She had meant to ask Winn about the blonde, but the ship was too busy trying to prepare for land. They were to arrive in two days time and everything had to be inventoried and accounted for. On her trips around the deck with her brother, Lena caught herself glancing up once in a while. The nets stretched all the way up the mast of the boat. The mighty sails billowed catching the wind as the boat sailed along. Shadowing her eyes, Lena looked up to follow the ropes. There at the top was the crow’s nest. The crow’s nest! How could she be so dumb. Someone could be up there and she wouldn’t have known. How could she forget to check up there at night.

\-----

Once the moon graced the sky again, Lena emerged from the cabin door and peered up at the sky. It was a clear night again and she narrowed her eyes at the crow’s nest. It was far away, but she could swear she saw bright strands of blonde hair floating from the nest. She tried to figure out what angle would best suit her need and eventually she found herself standing mostly beneath the nest, but with enough room to still see the hair.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Lena shouted as loud as she dared, “Hello!” She didn’t want to wake up the crew members, but she had to find out if this was her angel. After a few minutes, there was no response. She tried to shout again, but still got no response. At the third attempt she could hear the voice singing. It was futile, the woman up there wouldn’t be able to hear her. Sighing in defeat, Lena rested her head against the mast and closed her eyes. She thought of the blonde hair and blue eyes. She pictured the woman singing the shanties that floated from the sky.

\-----

“Lena! Wake up!” 

She woke with a start. Lex was shaking her shoulder. She was lying beneath the mast on the deck. She must have fallen asleep again out here.

“Hurry! Mother will kill me if she sees you fell asleep out here again. If we go now, we can sneak back in before she wakes.” 

Looking up, Lena frowned. She was hoping to be here to try and catch the blonde woman before she disappeared below deck again. The sun was just about to start peaking over the horizon, but it was still mostly dark out. If the woman worked the night watch, she wouldn’t leave the crow’s nest till well after sunrise when the day watch would arrive.

Sensing her reluctance, Lex hoisted her to her feet and practically marched her into the cabin. She would have to catch the woman soon, tonight would be her last night to see her.

\----

Since it was the last day, the captain asked the Luthors to stay in the cabin as much as possible so everything could be prepared for landfall the next morning. All of them were going stir crazy and just tried to read the books they had brought with them to avoid talking. As the sun was setting he arrived with the dinner and told them it was okay to leave. 

When they emerged from the cabin, they saw that there were many crates and crewmates on the deck.

“We’re having a party to celebrate,” the captain explained. He quickly handed out cups of grog to each of them. Lillian tried to politely decline, but Lex took hers and tipped it into his tankard. Sniffing, Lena also offered her cup to Lex which he took greedily. 

The crew had piled several lanterns together in the middle of the deck to act as a makeshift bonfire. Lena saw Winn walking around the deck lighting new lanterns on the rails of the boat. Instead of the usual red flame, some were blue or green! Rushing from her family, Lena approached Winn, careful to not create a gust that would blow out his flame.

“How are they different colors?” she asked in curiosity.

“Hello! Oh the lanterns? I made special wicks for celebrations in the ship. The blue wicks had been dipped in salt water and dried. The green ones have herbs interwoven in the wick’s cotten so the flames burn green.” Winn smiled proudly, it was a great feat to make the ship light up with the festive colors.

Too consumed with her new knowledge, Lena continued to ask questions as they walked the boat lighting the rest of the lanterns. She forgot to ask about the blonde hair and blue eyes.

The sound of a drum sounded from the center of the boat. Still wrapped up in her conversation, Lena tried to ask more questions about different colored flames until the music began to swell and she heard her angel sing. Blue met green. She looked at the woman whose voice had been comforting this whole voyage. Whether she was a siren, angel, or human, the woman was beautiful. As she started singing in time with the music, the crowd on the boat settled to silence to listen. It was slow and made Lena’s heart ache. It reminded her of the songs the woman had chosen that sounded so alone. 

The blonde never stopped looking at her. Maybe she was as curious as Lena was about her, but there was no way to tell. At the haunting tune, Lena felt a tear start to spill over like the other night. Not wanting Winn to see her crying, she quickly tried to wipe it away. When she looked up the blonde eyes were looking at her. Seeing her. When the song ended everyone clapped politely, but the woman quickly held up her hand to silence the crowd. 

The woman motioned to the sailors playing the instruments signaling the start of the next song. It was livelier and made Lena feel less hollow. While the blonde started singing, she wasn’t alone for long. Suddenly the boat was overcome with a chorus of voices joining in. Not everyone was as good a singer as the blonde, and the sailors knew it. Their voices grew louder and louder as some people started getting up to dance, others clinking tankards before chugging their drinks.

It felt like she was trying to communicate with Lena. Yes, her voice had the tone that she had experienced loss, but looking at the motley crew around her, Lena knew the woman was never truly alone anymore. There had been a sense of belonging happening among the crew’s song and Lena wanted to feel like she belonged like that even if she didn’t know the shanty. The woman named Alex that Lena had seen before stood up and threw her arm around the blonde’s shoulder as the crew continued to sing their shanty together.

Feeling someone touch her elbow, Lena turned and saw Winn smiling at her offering his elbow. Looping her arm in his, he walked her towards the crowd of sailors. Seeing her approach, the blonde slipped out of the other woman’s arm and approached. 

The woman nodded to Winn who released Lena’s arm and went to join the crowd. They stood facing each other surrounded by the sound of a sea shanty, laughter, and the light of blue and green lanterns. 

“Are you a siren?” Lena finally asked, green eyes locked on blue.

“If I say yes, could I tempt you to dance with me?”

“With a voice like that, you could ask me to do anything and I’d agree,” Lena chuckled.

Smiling, the blonde held out an outstretched hand. “I’m Kara. Let’s dance.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Don't ask me what time period this is supposed to be. I've also never been on a boat like this before so I don't actually know how it's laid out.
> 
> Inspired by: https://lena-in-a-red-dress.tumblr.com/post/642400903300857856/once-upon-a-shanty-a-supercorp-au


End file.
